Wall Picture Collage

I have been wanting to hang something on the wall in my kitchen ever since we moved in. Between Emily and I, we finally dreamed up this Wall Picture Collage after looking at lots of other people’s photo collages- and I love the way it turned out.

418 Responses to Wall Picture Collage

I did it as a collage on a 20×30 foam core. I cut photos around bodies just to fit in spaces and fit them all together. It was a lot of fun and got a lot more photos on than using the borders but a completely different look. I did not preplan spaces, etc. Ijust let it put itself together.

if you modge podge the board lightly and then while it is wet – modge podge the back of your picture & adhere. Do that for each pic. There is a flat scrapper tool you can get that you smooth over each item and gets the bubbles out. Let it dry well. Modge podge over top. I’ve done this for several furniture pieces that I’ve ‘funked ‘ up and added pictures and paper to….

Sounds like what I did in my 4 yr olds room with wall paper. It was Scooby-Doo, & I couldn’t wallpaper the whole wall b/c we were renting, so I cut out the figures & put them up!! He luved it & made for easy clean up. But, I really luv your idea…..I’m gonna try this!! 😉 Thank U^^

This is wonderful and I am working on my first one right now. A couple of things. First I have this really cool tool for lining things up exactly. It is an Easy Square,Jr. It is a clear lucite square with inch marks (and smaller in between) in black print and allows you to align each piece perfectly. I have been using it to setup margins and align pictures I have taken and glued them with Mod Podgr to art canvas.

Next, will the Mod Podge last for years to come without yellowing or flaking? Thanks for sharing this great idea!!

If you get poster hangers from Command Brand that are damage free those work really well. You have to put them on all four corners of both boards and line them up and stick them to the wall. Looks like its one big board now. Hope this helps.

I would do the toothpicks thru the center idea but also get some black duct tape and tape it on the seam in the back and a few across for extra support.No one will see the back anyways > :0)

I wold also add a second coat of the modge podge and lightly sand it between coats to eliminate the ridges. then spray it with a clear coat.

Another option is to use Resin. On some plastic or large paper to protect surfaces, lay out the project. Pour enough resin in the center , tilt the project all about to cover and then let it self level out over the picture. Cover or TENT over it to prevent dust particles etc. and let it dry to a hard finish. —Nina M.

Wow.. I can’t believe you two just dreamed this up! It looks so good! Your professional pictures go great against the black! I can’t wait to see it in real life next time I come to visit so I can look real good at each picture!

Oooh, I love this! Thanks so much for sharing. A while ago I tried a similar concept by just attaching square photos in a collage using double sided tape…and it looked great for a couple days…until the prints started falling off the wall. This is the perfect solution! 🙂

Wow! Such a simple idea, yet I never would have thought of it! Your layout is beautiful and keeps it from looking too cluttered.

I’m not sure if the other commenters said this, but you can email Amy Anderson at modpodgerocks @ gmail. com and she’ll answer your question–I’ve asked her several questions, and she does indeed love Mod Podge 🙂

Did you Mod podge over the entire thing or just the edges of the pictures? I guess I’m asking if you covered the whole picture? Super cute idea! I might do this with wedding pictures. Easy way to display pictures from one event without a billion frames!

I just tried this and I used the matte mod podge and it is all streaky…it looks great except the streaky part. Did this happen with the gloss kind? Also for other that want to do this…put the double sided tape all over the back of the pictures…mine are bumpy in the middle. Luckily this was a small board so no biggie and hopefully my next one will come out better! great idea though!

I love this idea! My teen kids take tons of candid pics and then post them to FB where they stay hidden in cyberspace. I’m planning on having them tell me which pics to have printed and surprising them with these in their rooms. 🙂

I stumbled upon this when a friend posted it on pinterest. And I love it! I’m so trying this when I get a day off. Thanks for the great idea. What do you think about the images cut into different sizes and interesting magazine clips or scrapbooking materials to add to the idea?

I’m not sure if I missed this, but what is the double sided tape used for? I understand the command strips are used for hanging the posters to the wall, but I don’t see where the tape comes in. It’s a great project btw, and I will be making a similar one as a gift to my family for the holidays! Thanks for the idea. 🙂

Thanks for posting this. I took pics to the local store to get a price on having them framed to look exactly like this and it was going to cost me $500 because of all the custom cuts. Now I’m going to do it myself.Thanks

Fantastic! I love it, but I have a question too. Do the photos smudge at all when you first put the modge podge on (when brushing it around wet)? We’re your photos professionally printed or printed at home with photo paper? That might make a difference!

“I have been wanting to hang something on the wall in my kitchen ever since we moved in”…. this line roped me in, I have been thinking the same for the past 3 yrs !!! 🙂 i am defenitely trying this . it will be my first with modpdge, hope it turns out fine…. Soumya

Your project is fabulous!If you coat the back of your photos with Mod Podge first and then stick them down you wont have the bumps from the tape on the back. I just like the idea of the whole surface being glued down. I have also found that if you coat the whole blank surface with the Mod Podge first and let it dry, the pictures will lay very flat when you put them on. To Anonymous: If you coat both sides of your foam board and let each side dry completely, it should dry flat. I usually work on canvas but I think the idea is the same.

Hey I was on pinterest and checking out wall hangings and your blog came up! I was so excited that it was yours and that I recognized all of your pictures! I loved this collage so much and I love it even more that it came from my dear cousin! Love you! Lisa

So, 2 ideas I thought of when I saw this….My daughter is getting a little older and her little wooden name letters are too young for her..How about cutting the board to the shape of a C (her initial) and then, instead of black, pretty, heavy duty wrapping paper adhered to the foam board. Then the pictures….just a thought…oh and maybe cute little frames, think tops of hearts, around some of the pictures…LOVE IT!!! Thanks for the idea!!!

I love this idea and I think it would also be a great idea for seasonal pictures too. I have a ton of beautiful and sentimental Christmas pictures of my 3 girls over the years and this would be a very economical way to use them for holiday decorations. At that price you could go crazy! 🙂

I love this idea! I think I could so do one of these for each room! I can change the size, shape and color! Hobby Lobby has a lot of different colors. I cant wait to get started! Thank you for the idea!

This turned out so cute, When I do mine Im not going to have the pictures so straight,I like to have them all over and in random positions and angels. Thanks for such a wonderful idea to do with all my pictures.=)

Just curious…someone else asked if it would work on canvas just as well…I imagine it would, but wanted to re-ask that question (didn’t see an answer…it there was, I am going to use the excuse that 3 kids have stolen my brain cells. 🙂 ). I have some canvas art from Kirklands that I’d like to repurpose. Thanks!

OMG, I have so many pictures. I have 6 children & high ceilings in my living room. I’ve been wanting to do a big collage forever but finding a simple way. Do u think I could use a big piece of 4×8 ply wood or should i attach the foam to the ply wood?? What do u think?

OMG, I have been looking for a solution in regards to a BUNCH of old photos around my house…they’re piling up but thanks to your idea I am now going to create several of these for the house…one for the office, one for my son’s room, and one for the entryway! THANKS!!!

I absolutely love this! I tried it today, but added decorative scrapbooking paper for decoration. I was worried because the paper started to ripple. I actually love that it did this because it looks like ribbon! Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing it!

I love this idea and its very creative. I feel that Mod Podge, might not be the best though. Using a Medium or a Heavy clear acrylic gel medium would make them stick better (no tape) and it would be more archival and last longer. Mod Podge puts a coat over the photos and it makes them “hazy.” The Gel medium wouldn’t do that, and it won’t make them shiny. It will harden better and you’re project will be archival and last longer!!!

I found this idea on Pinterest and am just waiting for my first board to dry right now! I pulled out lots of old pics that I haven’t used in any scrapbooks, including some with our extended family. Thank you soooo very much for sharing this idea…I LOVE it!!! 🙂 Also, thanks for the tip about the Command strips!

UGH! I did this as a last minute birthday present for my mom. I stayed up last night spacing all the picture and the modge podge smeared the pictures! I thought i was just pressing down too hard but it doesn’t go evenly if i don’t. I give up on this. have to go buy something else i guess

My parents are having an 80th birthday party in May…all of the kids, most grandkids and greatgrandkids will be there….this will be a PERFECT project to make and display at my parents so they can reminisce about the milestone and family gathering! YOUR’s is Beautiful! I love the way it looks! If its not perfect it shouldn’t be because it looks perfect to me! :o) ~Renee

Thank you for sharing this idea. It’s great!! I moved to a new place with tons of wall space. Never found any pictures I liked that were affordable. I’m digging in my photos so that I can do a couple of collages like yours. Will be nice to pass smiling faces and good memories, especially on days so bad you wonder why you bothered to get out of bed!

I think it’s wonderful and I’m glad that your helper got to see it through from start to finish. It doesn’t matter how it turns out, it’s a good time together, and a lesson to learn that it’s the fun that matters.

Would this project also work with white poster boards? I’m confused about the different ways mentioned in the comments and don’t know which to try. Mod Podge of course but a gel and resin were mentioned. 🙂

I really like this!! I have been trying to find a way to frame some things for grandparents without spending a ton of money and this is perfect! It will make Christmas presents, at least part of them, super easy! Thanks for sharing!

I just did two boards last night, and they’re amazing! So, I wanted to say thank you for this! I found some REALLY old pictures that we haven’t looked at in years, and brought back a lot of wonderful memories!

I really want to try this, but I guess it would not work on the photos I print here at home on my ink jet home printer. I would need to have the photos professionally printed so that they wouldn’t run when I apply the modge podge glue. Right?

I made 3 boards. One with the 4×4 prints all the way through, and two with horizontal and vertical pictures of x6 prints. They all look fantastic! I got a great deal on prints at Walgreens, and awesome coupons to use when I got the boards at the craft stores. The stars aligned perfectly!

Thank you SO MUCH for this idea. I love it! I currently have piles of pictures sitting in the next room (I had to move them so we had a place for guests to sit). I have no place to put any more frames, on the wall or on tables. What a great idea. Also redecorating the kitchen, so I might find a way to do both!Thanks again!

I LOVE THIS! I am making one right now. Such a great idea. I am using it to display dance photos of my students in our waiting room. It seems so much easier than buying a ton of picture frames and trying to hang them in a straight row. Thank you for sharing.

The mod podge didn’t ruin my photos- as you can see. They were regular prints from Costco, and they turned out fine. I made some copies of prints for my mom and did this project, and those didn’t work so well. The regular prints should be fine!

I did a color copy one of old pictures for my mom, and it didn’t work quite as well… I had some wrinkling of the pictures, since they were simply copies. She still loves it– but it doesn’t look as good as mine does with regular prints from Costco. Good luck!

I’m a scrapbooker! But it is too hard, time consuming and expensive to scrap every picture I take (and I take A LOT) so I think this is a great idea! Great way to display some of the extra pictures that don’t make it into the scrapbook!Definately going to try this one!

Super cool! How are they holding up? Sometimes they peel or warp if you don’t get the image directly printed on like some companies do. When I did it myself I know it didn’t quite work out, but getting it done prevented this. I used these guys and haven’t had a problem. However doing it yourself is much less expensive. How are yours holding up and if well, what did you do so I can do it better next time.

That is awesome!! I have a picture collage in my kitchen that I made using a HUGE cheap picture/poster frame that I found brand new at Good Will (gotta love that store!!) I like how you laid them out so nice and pretty. Mine doesn’t look horrible, but it definitely isn’t neat/organized/professional looking like yours. I am closing on my house in 12 days and will definitely keep this in mind if I find a nice space for this project. Not to mention it would be fun to do a collage of my pup growing up. Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

I did this on a large, old vintage wooden cabinet door and I am going to hang it on my wall. I painted the door dark brown, printed my pictures in sepia, and used matte modge podge. It’s still drying, but it looks absolutely amazing. Thanks for the inspiration.

Just want to say great idea. I did try this, changed it up a bit. I used the Matte finish mod podge and it still has a bit of a glare. I think it would be best using the gloss finish, it would at least look like glass instead of a ‘finger smudge’ look glare. Just sharing.

Thanks so much for sharing! I just moved in to a new apartment. I have so many pictures from years of travelling, but my landlord doesn’t like me hanging things. This idea works great as it doesn’t ruin your walls and you get to share your pictures 🙂

Just throwing it out there, this is a perfect way to display your instagram photos. I made a 4×6 canvas in a photo editing program and then dropped my instagram photo in, size the picture to 4×4 and get them printed anywhere

Love this! Thanks for sharing. I am currently making a “W” with my children’s pictures all over it and I have never used Mod Podge before. I wasn’t sure if I should just go over it or not but you have given me courage! Thanks so much!

This was an awesome craft! I added some metal stickers to the corners to make it look like a closed frame! I will use this idea on foam Jerseys I found @ the crafts store for gifts. Thanks for helping create my first home craft!

This looks awesome! nice idea and could easily work with printed Instagram photos that come in the 4x4prints! I blog about creative ways to display printed instagram photos at printicular.com/printing-instagram and this is definitely a cool idea!

I did a similar project using a canvas framed with wood; first I painted a background color then taking several family photos, and scrapbooking letters and words. Taping them all underneath the pictures to the canvas then coating with Modge Podge. The canvas was inexpensive, the time I spent creating it was enjoyable and the response from my grandparents when I gave it to them was priceless! Great and creative project that has a lot of heart.

I love it! You may be able to take the glare off with some real fine steel wool. I know it works on poly eurathane to take the gloss away and give it more of a satin look. Maybe try it on something else before you try it on your beautiful collage. Love the idea….thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for (and I didn’t even know it)!!!

Just moved into a new place & plan to go back to college next year and trying to minimize spending & items I’ll need to take.

I want to display a few posters, though, and I calculated it would cost around $300 to buy the posters (11×17) + frames. Printing (i.e. wal-mart/cvs) 8×10 photos and buying frames would cost about half that. I just can’t justify spending that much money right now.

Tried searching for collage frames and they are insanely expensive, not to mention the photo orientation is not what I want.

As a last resort, I did a google search for “cheap photo collage ideas” hoping to find something that didn’t look too tacky but was inexpensive and easy enough to make. Found your post and will definitely be making this.

Ok, so I seen this blog and thought it was a great idea. I have a lot of pictures laying around and this was the perfect way to display them. I worked all weekend preparing what I wanted to display and have everything ready to spread on the Mod Podge. Well this is where I got scared, sorry to say. Reading some post is saying that their pictures curled or have ruined. Should I be taking my pictures in to have duplicates made before I continue? some are so old, I would hate for them to be ruined. Also, the post just states to tape the pictures down, however I have read elsewhere that the mod podge should be spread out on the board and then place the picture down. Not sure how to proceed.

I like the helpful information you provide in your articles.
I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
I am quite cedrtain I’ll learn lots of new stuff right here!
Good luck for the next!

Hello~ I mod podged regular scrap book paper to foam board before and it totally warped the whole dang project! .. Did yours warp with using the regular photos?? I really want to make a couple of these for my hallway! And I love that it’s so cheap to make 🙂 Thanks!

I made two last night and another today for my daughters for Christmas. Look fabulous but on each one theres a couple pictures just not sticking, so frustrating. Any suggestions so the pictures don’t lift…. and how do l fix it now that theyre coated? just LOVE this idea-thank you!!

This is an awesome project for my home! Perfect!
But will do this project first as a gift to my mother for her birthday and since she is a pastor as well I am arranging a photo that includes each department of groups plus some close members of church…one family.
Thanks so much for this idea and now I can do the same to my own pictures.

I absolutely love this idea! Especially the simplicity AND cost efficiency! I do have one question though, how stable is this? Knowing my luck I would move it and it would snap in half! Is it pretty durable?

[…] Wall Picture Collage – Bits of Everything – I have been wanting to hang something on the wall in my kitchen ever since we moved in. Between Emily and I, we finally dreamed up this Wall Picture Collage after …… […]

[…] If you have a big family, the holidays could be one of the few times in a year when everybody’s around for a photo op. Take advantage of the large inventory with a frameless wall collage. Choose the best group and individual photos from the holidays and print them out in a uniform square size. Place them on foam core boards and brush on a layer of Mod Podge to preserve the photos. Learn how to do this on a budget here. […]

[…] Wall Picture Collage. If your best friend is a big fan of photography and loves showing some amazing pictures on the wall, then this is a creative and fantastic gift idea when he or she moves to a new house. source […]

[…] A Wall Picture Collage is an easy way to incorporate several of your favorite pictures into your home decor. This particular collage is simple, inexpensive and requires few supplies. When decorating your home, it can be difficult to decide which photos to use if you have many favorites. However, this collage lets you use several pictures so that you do not waste precious time deciding. You can show off your last family vacation or display several pictures of all your children at once. Anywhere you need to add a personal touch or some color is appropriate for this Wall Picture Collage.Click here to read full article […]

[…] project costs under $20 and was just a genius way to make something chic and personal for the home. Bits of Everything started with foam boards and some free photo prints to get this idea off the […]

[…] Wall Picture Collage. If your best friend is a big fan of photography and loves showing some amazing pictures on the wall, then this is a creative and fantastic gift idea when he or she moves to a new house. source […]

[…] Next up: wall installations that integrate a large number of photos. Make your own for under $20 with ingredients such as Mod Podge and foam core boards. Learn more about this Wall Picture Collage at Bits of Everything: […]

[…] Next up: wall installations that integrate a large number of photos. Make your own for under $20 with ingredients such as Mod Podge and foam core boards. Learn more about this Wall Picture Collage at Bits of Everything: […]

[…] You can always just opt for a big collage and put all of your favorite captured memories in one place! It’ll bring a special touch to any room and a smile on your face every time you’ll pass it! See the tutorial at Bits of Everything! […]

[…] Cali over at Bits of Everything gives complete instructions on how to make this, using foam core boards from WalMart. It’s a lovely way to showcase loads of photos from throughout the celebrant’s life. […]

[…] Cali over at Bits of Everything gives complete instructions on how to make this, using foam core boards from WalMart. It’s a lovely way to showcase loads of photos from throughout the celebrant’s life. […]

[…] Wall Picture Collage. If your best friend is a big fan of photography and loves showing some amazing pictures on the wall, then this is a creative and fantastic gift idea when he or she moves to a new house. source […]

[…] Wall Picture Collage. If your best friend is a big fan of photography and loves showing some amazing pictures on the wall, then this is a creative and fantastic gift idea when he or she moves to a new house. source […]